Introduction to Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple
Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple is in Chottanikkara, a town that lies 17 km away from Ernakulam. The presiding deity here is Goddess Rajarajeswari/Durga/Bhagavathy – the mother Goddess. According to legends, the deity was brought from Mookambika Temple in Kollur, Karnataka. Hence, devotees worship her as Mookambika (Saraswati) Devi till 7 am in the morning. People worship Bhagavathy in three forms here – Goddess Saraswati in the morning, Goddess Lakshmi at noon, and Goddess Durga in the evening. Chottanikkara Bhagavathy has healing powers, especially the power to heal mental illness and disorders. The Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple stands in a hilly area, surrounded on all sides by fields. One enters the temple through the west. The serene atmosphere and spiritual aura that prevail in the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple create a sense of peace and calmness in the devotees’ minds.
Devotees fondly address the Goddess as Amme Narayana, Devi Narayana, Bhadre Narayana, and Lakshmi Narayana, as there is an idol of Vishnu/Narayana on the pedestal of Goddess Rajarajeswari. The golden-hued idol of the Goddess is in the main temple. Garlands, flowers, and jewels adorn it. It is also lit up splendidly. The idol has four arms – the upper right-hand holds a disc, the upper left holds a conch, the lower right-hand shows Varada (boon-conferring) pose, and the lower left shows Abhaya (protection) pose. As Saraswati in the morning, the Goddess wears a pure white garment, and as Lakshmi at noon, she wears a crimson red cloth. As Durga, in the evening, she wears a bright blue dress.
Durga here is a much milder form. The original idol of Bhagavathy, which is three or four feet high, faces east. It is of laterite and is self-manifested. This idol, called ‘Rudraksha Sila,’ has an irregular shape, is red in color, and is untouched by a human sculptor. One can see this image only at 4 am when the temple doors open for Nirmalyam. (early morning darshan of the deity, which still has the sacred remnants of the previous night’s offerings like garlands, flowers, sandalwood paste, etc.
The temple complex also has a shrine for Kizhukkavu Bhagavathy as well as shrines for Ayyappa/Sastha, Shiva, Ganapati, Nagas, and other Upa-Devas.
The Legend behind Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple
Legends say that Bhogacharya had worshipped the deity here. Others include Adisankaracharya, Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, Kakkasseri Bhattathiri, and Chemmangattu Bhattathiri.
Once, this area was a dense jungle. Kannappan, a tribesman and devout worshipper of the Goddess Mahakali, lived here. He offered a ritual sacrifice – a buffalo – to her every Friday. One day, he spotted a calf near the forest and took it to his stone altar. He wanted to sacrifice the calf, but his daughter Pavizham stopped him from doing so, and he let her keep the calf as a pet. Unfortunately, Pavizham died of a snakebite a few days later. Kannappan decided to cremate her body, but to his shock, Pavizham’s corpse vanished.
A priest explained the reason for it. Kannappan used to take away calves from their mothers by force and sacrifice them. Hence, this was his punishment. When Kannappan looked for the calf, he found the altar shining. The priest said that the calf represented Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. He told Kannapan to pray before the altar every day to get relief from his sins.
One day, after Kannappan’s death, a low-caste grass cutter found blood oozing out of a stone that she had cut by accident. Alarmed, she told everyone about it. A priest performed a Devaprasnam and found that the stone was divine. That very day, the elder Brahmin of the Yedattu house brought some puffed rice in a coconut shell. This was offered to the Goddess for the first time. Even today, the practice of offering puffed rice in a coconut shell prevails. Since then, the Brahmins of Yedattu house became the hereditary priests at the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple.
Another legend about the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple has associations with the spiritual guru, Shankaracharya. Adi Shankara felt that there were no temples in Kerala for the worship of Goddess Mahasaraswati. So, he went to Kashmir and meditated for several days so that the Goddess would appear before him. Due to his meditation, the Goddess, clad in white, gave him darshan. He expressed his wish to bring the goddess to Kerala and establish a temple for her worship. This way, people from Kerala, especially the elderly, would not have to travel far to worship her. After much persuasion, the goddess agreed, but she had a condition. She would follow him on foot, but he was not to look back to see if she was behind him. If he did, then she wouldn’t proceed further. He agreed. The tinkling of the goddess’ anklets reassured him of the goddess’ presence behind him.
As they were walking down the Kodachadri hills, the tinkling stopped suddenly. Shankara waited awhile, then looked back only to find the goddess eyeing him reproachfully. As he had broken her rule, the goddess stopped at that spot, which later became the Mookambika Temple. However, Shankara did not give up. He apologized for his mistake and pleaded with the goddess to accompany him to Kerala. Finally, the goddess said that she would come to Chottanikara in Kerala, where the Chottanikara Bhagavathy Temple was.
In the early hours of the morning, the goddess would appear before the devotees at the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple as Mahasaraswati. In the afternoon, she would return to the Mookambika Temple. Since then, the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple’s sanctum doors have always opened during the early morning hours to worship Goddess Mahasaraswati before the Mookambika Temple’s main sanctum doors open.
Kizhukkavu Temple
This temple is on the eastern side of the temple pond. The idol facing westward was supposedly installed by Vilwamangalam Swamiyar, a great Brahmin saint who lived during the middle of the 17th century in Kerala, and an ardent devotee of Vishnu. After the Athazha pooja (main evening Pooja), the chief priest of the main deity comes to this temple to perform the famous Valiya Guruthy (great sacrifice) Pooja. The Guruthy is prepared in 12 cauldrons, and the ritual takes place at about 8.45 pm every night. Devotees who witness it find it awe-inspiring and indescribable. Women with mental abnormalities like schizophrenia who are present during Valiya Guruthy on Fridays have been permanently healed. An ancient ‘Pala’ tree that stands on the northeastern side of the sanctum sanctorum is studded with long iron nails hammered on its trunk by people possessed by ghosts and evil spirits with their foreheads.
The Legend behind Keezhkavu Temple
The idol at Keezhkavu came only after the temple came into being. One night, a Brahmin called Gupthan Namboodiri was pursued by a Yakshi (evil female spirit) in disguise while he was on his way to meet a friend Kosapilli Namboodiri, who practiced occult sciences. The Yakshi took the form of a lovely woman and tried to seduce Gupthan. But he had with him a palm leaf copy of Devi Mahatmyam so she could not harm him. On reaching Kosapilli Namboodiri’s house, Gupthan told him about the maiden, and Kosapill guessed that she was a Yakshi. He gave Gupthan Namboodiri an enchanted towel and rice to carry with him on his return journey to defend himself against the Yakshi. On the way back, Gupthan, who saw the Yakshi following him, ran towards the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple, throwing the rice and swirling the towel at the Yakshi. This slowed her down. Guptan then jumped into the compound of the temple’s sanctum. The Yakshi could only catch hold of his feet. Gupthan cried out for help, and Bhagavathy emerged as Maha Kali and killed the Yakshi. She also threw the corpse onto the temple tree’s base and washed off the blood in the temple tank. This tank is Yakshikulam or Rakthakulam, where the Kali idol was found centuries later by Vilwamangalam Swamiyar of Guruvayoor.
The Architecture of Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple
The architecture of this temple testifies to Kerala’s rich cultural and artistic traditions. It has exquisite carvings and woodwork as well as a design aesthetic that reflects Kerala’s unique cultural heritage. It has a grand Gopuram or tower that has intricate sculptures and traditional motifs. The Sreekovil, or sanctum sanctorum, has a rectangular shape and a pyramidal roof with many layers. Made of granite, its design is simple but elegant. The Naalambalam is a rectangular enclosure that surrounds the Sreekovil. It has many pillars and walls with carvings of mythological motifs and scenes from the Hindu epics. Copper sheets layer the temple’s roofs. The exterior walls and pillars, too, have intricate carvings. Near the temple’s entrance is a Dhwajasthambam (flagstaff). The temple has ponds, gardens, and courtyards.
Festivals at the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple
” Makom Thozhal ” (worship on Makom star day) is the most important festival here. It takes place in Kumbham (Feb/March) month. Devotees believe that Bhagavathy in her full attire gave darshan to Vilwamangalam Swamiyar on this day and appears on the same day every year to give darshan to the devotees in her special appearance. The Bhadrakaali at Kizhukkavu supposedly exorcizes evil spirits from devotees after conducting Bhajanam. Thiruvonam, Navaratri, Vrishchicka Mandala Mahotsavam, Thrikkarthika festival (the birthday of the Goddess), etc., are other major festivals.
The annual festival of the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple is in Kumbham month. It begins with the Kodiyettu/Flag hoisting ceremony on Rohini day, continues for 7 days, and ends on Uthram star day. Pooram Ezhunnellippu, featuring 7 elephants in the morning and at night, is a major attraction. The festival ends with Uthram Aarattu and Valiya Guruthi (Atham Guruthy).
On Vijayadasami day of the Navaratri festival, Vidyarambham is conducted for children aged 3 to 6 years who are initiated into the world of education in the presence of Goddess Saraswati. Durgashtami and Mahanavami are also very important. An elephant procession, Annadanam (food donation) and stage programmes take place daily.
Benefits of Worshipping at the Chottanikkara Bhagavathy Temple
This temple is very powerful for healing people with mental ailments and psychological disorders. It is also a sanctuary for those who suffer from problems due to possession by evil spirits. Exorcism rituals in the temple have supposedly cured many such people.
How to Reach the Temple
By Air
Kochi International Airport is the nearest at a 25 km distance.
By Rail
Ernakulam Junction is the nearest railway station. It is well-connected to major Indian cities.
By Road KSRTC buses ply to the temple regularly. You can also take a cab to the temple.